Improvement in sewers



'L. A. aoucu.

- Sewer. I

NO 151222! Patented March;23,l875.

jivrrnn STATES LYMAN A. cocoa, or YoNKEns NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEWERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 161,222, dated March23, 1875 application filed September 3, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LYMAN A. GOUGH, of Yonkers, in the county ofWestchester and State of New York, have invented an II11 provement inSewers, of which the following is a specification:

This invention relates to an improved mode of constructing sewers,whereby they are rendered more durable, the cost of construction isreduced, facility is afforded for building sewers in wet ground oracross chasms or gullies, and a less amount of excavation is necessarythan in sewers of ordinary construction.

The invention consists in a sewer constructed in part of masonry, and inpart of iron, the masonry being in the form of an arch, and resting uponan iron girder of novel construction, forming the bottom of the sewer.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure l is a transverse vertical sectionof a sewer constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal vertical section. Fig. 3 is a bottom view. Fig. 4: is adetail view, hereinafter particularly referred to.

A represents an arch of masonry, of oval form, or approximately so, thelower portion of which rests upon an iron girder. This girder consistsof a base, B lying in a horizontal position, and two sides, B B eachinclined upward and outward at an angle of about fortyfive degrees, moreor less, and extending from the center of the base B a distance somewhatgreater than the entire width of said base, so as to form a V-shapedgutter, as shown. At the top of this gutter the metal extends outwardand downward at about right angles with the sides B B a distance equalto the thickness of the masonry-wall A, so as to formsupporting-surfaccs B B for the Wall A to rest upon, and then extendsupward about parallel with the sides B 13*, so as to form flanges B Bbearing against the outer surface of the bottom of the wall A. By thisconstruction, the surfaces B B furnish a firm support for the weight ofthe wall, and the flanges B B serve to prevent the lower portion fromspreading. The sides B B are braced by webs B extending from the sides Bbase B and supporting-surfaces B at right angles with the lengththereof, and at suitable distances from each other, to impart thenecessary degree of strength to the parts. Each girder has one of thesewebs at each end, which forms a flange, and when it is necessary toattach the ends of two girders together as the work of constructing thesewer progresses a packing of rubber or other substance is placedbetween these flanges, and they are secured by bolts 1) passed throughthem, as shown, thus forming a continuous girder of any desired length.At one end of each girder the base projects slightly beyond the edges ofthe sides, so as to form a lip or flange, B, which engages with a grooveor depression in the end of the next adjacent girder, as shown clearlyin Fig. 4. By this means the continuous girder is rendered firm andsolid, and the joint is prevented from accidental displacement.

The girder, constructed as above described, is laid upon the bottom ofthe excavation made for the sewer, and the masonry is built upon it.

A sewer constructed according'to my invention possesses many advantagesover those of ordinary construction. The cost of construction is reducedthe sewer is rendered more durable 5 the amount of excavation nec'essary is not so great, which is an important consideration, especiallyin rocky ground.

By the use of the iron girder bottom the sewer may be laid in wet orswamp ground, or may be carried on piles over gullies or chasms. Thegirder bottom may be applied to old sewers, the bottoms of which havebecome defective in consequence of the washing away or dropping out ofportions thereof.

In building new sewers, as soon as the girder is laid the bottom of thesewer is complete, and said bottom is perfectly straight, so that thereis no lodgment or collection of water or sewerage at any point, and theV- shaped gutter facilitates the carrying off of the deposits.

The girder maybe of either cast or wrought 7 iron, as preferred.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A sewer composed of an iron girder constructed with a base, B inclinedsides B and flanged supporting-surfaces B in combination with asuperincumbent arch of masonry, substantially as herein described.

LYMAN A. GOUGH. Witnesses:

BENJAMIN W. HOFFMAN, 1VIIOHAEL RYAN.

